The Devil Made Me Do It

i. of ii.

This is probably the oldest excuse in the book.  For centuries, millenia even, people have claimed that evil spirits were really at fault for their own wrongdoing.  But can this ever be true? Is there a devil? And, if so, can he intercede directly into human affairs?

No one argues that good and evil exist.  We really just argue about what form they take.  It could be said that God is creation and Satan is destruction.  Humans embody both, since we also have the power to create or destroy.  In the Bible, it says, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him" (Genesis 1:27).  Thus, it is within our power to create heaven or hell on earth.

In all of creation, we alone were given the power to name and be named.  However, omniscience and immortality were not part of the bargain.  William E. Channing said, "Absolute power was not meant for man." In our race to obtain dominion over the planet, we have been tempted to forget the tenuous nature of our mortal existence.  We will always be plagued by the minions of death, whether they come in the form of sickness or worse.

A long time ago, someone told me a very strange tale.  It was about the Vatican.  Everyone knows about the wealth of the Church.  I have seen it with my own eyes.  Corridors that seem to stretch for miles are filled with stock piles of rubies, pearls, and sapphires.  Most of these gems were big as robin's eggs.  It was breathtaking.  And I'm not even mentioning the exquisite furs and plush velvet robes.  All I could think was: if this is what is available for public display (albeit under five inches of glass), what might be hidden away? What must the secret vaults contain?

According to legend, there is a secret room hidden deep within the ancient walls.  Supposedly, this is the room that the Swiss guards are really there to protect.  The jewels are just for show.  What is in this room? Some speculate that it is a book.  Others whisper that it is something else entirely. 

It is also said that upon his coronation, every new pope is taken to a room and there he learns how the world will end.  Is it the same room? It would seem to follow that it is.  But can such fanciful tales ever be true? Or do these stories serve only to perpetuate the mystique and grandeur of the Catholic faith? I guess we'll never know.  

Personally, I like that the Church has these secrets and mysteries.  It is a reminder that we are not meant to know everything.  However, I do know one thing.  The Church believes in demonic possession.  So much so that it has developed highly effective methods to deal with it.  The Catholic Church has been training its clerics to perform exorcisms for hundreds of years.  

One of the reasons that priests are uniquely qualified to perform exorcisms is because of their vow of celibacy.  Over the course of history, many religions required that their practitioners be celibate.  Why? It is important to be a pure vessel to channel nature or connect with the other realm.  It is a calling that requires great sacrifice.  It is not for the faint of heart.

Recently, Paranormal Witness aired an episode called "The Exorcist."  It followed the story of Father Vince Lampert and how he became one of the preeminent exorcists in the United States.  During the course of the episode, the showrunners made a dangerous error.  They chose to broadcast the proper names of several demons.  I will not repeat them here.  Be it upon your head if you hunt this stuff down.

I do not know of a field of study that is more dangerous than demonology.  Demons imperil the soul.  An exorcist must possess nerves of steel.  He must also be steadfast, brave, and spiritually gifted.  It's a one-in-a-million sort of formula.  Father Lampert fits this bill.  Apparently, he is continually besieged by requests for exorcisms.  But he is only one man.  We all need to exercise vigilance over our own souls.  There are far more demons than exorcists.

The movie, Paranormal Activity, did a good job of illustrating a demonic haunting.  It was a bit over-the-top and extreme, but you got the idea.  I was surprised to see that they got the footprints right.  Not something you ever want to see, but they did a good job.  One thing I did not agree with was the psychic who advised the victims to stay in the house.  He made the case that the entity was too powerful to run away from.  Well, yes and no.  I realize that the victims had to remain in the house to serve the purposes of the film, but bad advice is still bad advice.

Unfortunately, there are few sources of accurate information about how to deal with an extreme haunting, so I want to set the record straight.  My advice is to get out.  Get to where people are.  It is true that a powerful entity might follow, but you will buy yourself time.  The entity will have to expend energy to re-assert dominance in a new location.  And demons are lazy, so give yourself a fighting chance.

It is sad to say, but some people are marked.  By heredity or weakness or vice they are marked.  Secrets can be powerful enough to evoke the darkness.  Then there are those who choose to invoke it.  Not knowing the traffic laws will not get you out of a ticket.  It is the same with spiritual laws.   Demons can be invoked by spiritual intemperance.  Choosing to be ignorant of spiritual rules will not redeem your soul from jeopardy.  Tempting fate is a dangerous game.

Physical dependencies can also weaken not only the body, but the soul.  The similarities between possession and addiction can be unsettling.  There is no faster way to destroy your life and create hell on earth.  People who are lost to the throes of gambling, hard drugs, or mental illness would probably have a lot to say about demons.  

Our bodies and souls are in our keeping.  Destroy the body and the soul will follow suit.  We are in every way capable of destroying the light and dwelling only in darkness.  And the darkness is not a place to be alone.  It is where the shadows are free to consume your mind, your heart, your soul. 

Where is the line between bad behavior and demonic influence? To be honest, I'm not sure.  It is a winding, twisted, tenuous affair.  We are all capable of good and evil.  We don't need to be marked for possession in order to engage in truly heinous acts.  Regardless of the genesis, once someone forfeits their soul, dark things will find them.  They will become nothing more than a puppet for things that dwell in the shadows.  Full possession is not necessary when whispers will do the work.  Why break through a window if someone has left the door wide open?